AISI M42 is a Mo-series high-speed steel (HSS) with an additional 8 wt% Co that exhibits high hardness and strength, superior red hardness and wear resistance, and good toughness. [1][2][3] It is well suited for making cutting tools, particularly those used to machine difficult-to-machine materials. [4,5] The continuous emergence of novel highperformance materials and the growing demand for high machining efficiencies have led to an increase in the requirements for cutting tools. [6,7] Therefore, it is imperative to further improve the properties of M42 HSS.The addition of alloys has been reported to be an effective way to improve the properties of HSS. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] For instance, proper Al addition can improve the tempering resistance of high-boron HSS. [8,9] The appropriate addition of Si, Ti, or Nb can improve the secondary hardness and bending strength of W-Mo-Cr-V HSS (e.g., M2 and M7). [10,12,13] Appropriate rare earth addition can improve the impact toughness of M2 HSS and highcarbon HSS. [7,[14][15][16] Recently, the addition of nitrogen (N) to HSS has also been explored. Wang et al. and Hara et al. reported that the addition of N could reinforce the secondary hardening of semi-HSS and high-carbon HSS due to the precipitation of fine carbonitrides. [18,19] Cieśla et al. improved the carbide distribution of M2 HSS by N-alloying, thus enhancing its brittle cracking resistance. [20] Mattar et al. reported that adding N could enhance secondary hardness and wear resistance of M41 HSS. [21,22] Therefore, N-alloying is a promising method for improving the properties of HSS. However, few reports exist on the application of N in M42 HSS, particularly regarding the effect of N on the properties of M42 HSS. In addition, the N